Conference rocks::weight_control

    Just the title I was looking for.  I think I have finally made it!
    It took a lot of time and it was slow but if I am successful it
    will be worth it.
    
    The secret is simple...I have retrained myself to enjoy a different
    selection of foods.  Gooey cakes and pies no longer excite me...fruits
    such as cantalope satisfy a sweet tooth.
    
    I read continually about nutrition.  The information I take in helps
    change my attitude about food.  I observe how my body reacts to
    various foods and that helps in making decisions about what I will
    eat.
    
    The other exercise I did was to weigh myself each day and count
    calories for every bite of food I put in my mouth.  Doing this helps
    me understand how my body works and what I can expect.  It seems
    I gain 2 pounds every 15 days.  I must have some sort of cycle where
    I retain fluid.  Knowing this I do not get discouraged and in a
    few days I return to my regular weight.
    
    And last but not least I am trying to change my social life so that
    food is not the center of social activities.  During the months
    I dieted I stayed away from activities that were centered around
    food.  If I were an alcoholic I would not hang around barrooms and
    I feel that I cannot maintain my weightloss and eat out that often
    so I am decreasing that activity and substituting others.
    
    WW at Work is coming to Dascomb Rd. and I will loose my last 10
    pounds with them.  I think the motivation of belonging to a group
    will be helpful.  I am also going to see if I can become an instructor
    when I meet the requirements.
    
    The most important secret for me was when I discovered that my
    inability to control my weight was *not* my fault.  I think that
    the medical profession is doing some terrific research on obesity
    and they are discovering that most people who have a weight problem
    have a medical reason for that problem.  In my case and in the case
    of many of us I crave carbohydrates.  This is due to a lack of the
    chemical serotonin in the brain.  By changing my diet to a high
    carbohydrate diet I satisfy this need.  
    
    So to summarize my secret I dumped the guilt, I studied my body,
    I read everything in sight and I have changed my mind about the
    food that appeals to my taste.
    
    I welcome correspondence about weightloss and dieting 
    so feel free to get in touch!

    First and foremost -- an attitude change.  Darlene, I strongly agree
    with the first reply.  The more you read about nutrition, the more
    you are "brainwashed" into eating well.  FIT FOR LIFE has helped
    me a great deal.  I don't follow it exactly, but I follow most
    of its general premises.
    
    I have been overweight all of my life.  Part of my upbringing, I
    think.  Anyway, when I co-oped in Florida for 8 months, I took off
    28 pounds and returned to school at 112!  Noone recognized me...
    I think that was part of the incentive.  I did this through calorie
    counting - 1180 calories a day +- only about 10 calories.  When
    I didn't reach 1180, I rewarded myself with extra food.  When I
    was over, I penalized myself the next day.  When I was close to
    the daily calorie limit, I ate a head of lettuce for dinner...
    Let me tell you, this is the most ridiculous way of losing weight
    next to pouring drugs in your body.  After reaching my weight goal,
    I had some personal problems and put it all back on within the year.
    
    I have learned some very valuable lessons now, and have succeeded
    in taking off 17 pounds since I started with Digital in July.  Hope
    these will help.
    
    1)  Everyone has a "natural" weight.  112 was great, but could never
        maintain it.  120 is much more realistic for keeping it off.
    
    2)  A WAY OF LIFE...NOT A DIET.  I don't know what the failure rate
        is, but I have known few people who have kept it off after dieting.
        It's a way of life...If you remember nothing else of what I
        here remember this.  Change your eating habits realisticly...
        whatever that means for you...Realize the health improvements
        along the way...My productivity increases the better I eat;
        and most of all, I am happier about myself.  This heightens
        my everyday zest for life!
    
    3)  Compliments from friends are wonderful when they are meant.
        I hate when people say I've lost weight when I know I haven't,
        but when I have...Wow, what a feeling!  If there are any naysayers
        in your life, give them a lecture...When someone tells you need
        to lose weight, you gain...because you are depressed.  IT HAS
        TO COME FROM WITHIN YOURSELF.
    
    and finally...
    
    4)  Change your shopping habits.  Shop "around" the supermarket...
        Through the produce section, meat and dairy.  Rarely stray into
        processed foods.  Forget all the weightwatcher frozen dinners...
        Make your own...Vegetables are almost always less fattening...
        no matter what you put on them.
    
    Hope this helps.  I feel really good when I'm able to help others
    at this endeavor.
    
    
 

    Sorry forgot 5)  A regular exercise plan...I love aerobics at work!
    And also, I've bought an exercise bicycle and a weight bench.  Weight
    benches are great for bringing about the awareness that you can
    change your body.

                            - do it for you because -
    
    Having been plaqued with a weight problem all my life and always
    being on a diet or should I say always "watching what I eat", I
    have finally gotten to the point that I do it for me because I
    like myself too much to go through the guilt and self hate that
    overeating leads too. I used to loose weight for my parents, for
    my husband, but now it's for me.  Believe me I understand how 
    difficult it is to like yourself again enough to turn down that
    extra cookie, piece of pie or cake.  You know that song "Looking
    for love in all the wrong places" really described what I was doing
    with food very accurately.  Because I didn't love myself or like
    myself, I was constantly looking for love and acceptance from others
    and when it didn't happen, would console with food.  Now, years
    later, I find that you really do have to like yourself first and
    not look for acceptance from others.  The problem with always defining
    yourself with others is that if you are rejected, you loose your
    sense of self worth.   Believe it or not, my weight problems were
    solved when I made that realization.  I don't mean to say that
    everyone's weight problems are due to lack of self appreciation,
    but the question was asked what made my weight loss successful.
    Hope it helps.  
    

    I've been losing weight pretty steadily since December; I've been
    fighting my weight for as long as I can remember, so I know what you're
    going through.  I can't count the number of times I've sworn that I'd
    never put that weight back on again!

    I think the thing that has made the difference this time (and we'll see
    if it lasts!) is that I don't give up just because of a bad day or a
    bad week.  There have been entire weeks when I didn't log or weigh any
    of my food - I just approximated portions, and kept track of it in my
    head.  But I didn't berate myself -- it was just a "vacation," and I
    knew I'd be back on program soon enough.

    I weigh in today, and I may very well show a gain.  But the graph on my
    wall will still show a downward trend (I'd have to put on more than 4
    lbs to cross the 1 lb/week line), so I'm not going to worry about it. 
    I feel ready to start up again, and I haven't destroyed the progress I
    made.

    If you can join WW, do it.  I always thought it sounded much too
    restrictive for me, but they've opened up the options a lot in the past
    few years.  Give it a try . . .

    Beverly

    I agree with all the replys dealing with re-training your taste
    buds, exercise, group encouragement (i.e., Weight Watchers).  But
    most of all I had to learn that in certain situations I was using
    food as an "inappropriate substitute" for certain emotions.
    
    I used to eat when I was angry, frustrated, stressed out, depressed,
    and generally "bummed out".  I also used to eat when I was happy
    and wanted to celebrate!  Now I try to examine my feelings and ask
    myself if food will really improve the situation.  Usually the answer
    is no...eating only makes the situation worse by adding guilt to
    whatever it is that I am feeling.
    
    Best to all,
    
    Lynn
    
    P.S. - I still eat when I'm happy.  I just eat different foods and
           not so much of them!

    Hi!
    
    I agree with everything that everyone else has said.
    
    I have been with Weight Watchers now for 5 weeks and have lost a
    total of 15 pounds.  That, for me, IS a success story (even though
    a have a great number of pounds to go).  
    
    The main key to my success has been that I realize that I am NOT
    PERFECT so if I 'cheat' every once in a while it IS OKAY.  I have
    found that when on prior diets I was to restrictive with my eating.
     I could eat this, I had to eat that.  As a result, I had set such
    high standards that I couldn't even reach.  And when I couldn't
    reach them, I thought, I had failed and began eating uncontrollably.
    
    If you are going to diet AND make it to your desired weight you have to
    take it one step at a time.  In my case, since I am on WW, I take it one
    week at a time.  Diet with your best friend, husband, mother, sister,
    anyone who you can share your feelings, diet, etc. with.  Surround
    yourself with people who are 'supportive' of your weight loss efforts.
    Lastly, KNOW that YOU WILL reach your desired weight and from
    then on it's all down hill. 
    
    Good luck!
    
    Marqui (pronounced 'Mar-KEY')
  
    

    Thanks everyone for the encouragement.  Your stories have given
    me a lot to think about.  Changing my attitude toward food will
    help me considerably.  I already know a lot about nutrition, but
    when I'm really hungry, all that knowledge goes out the window.
    My other problem is eating when my stomach is upset (which is often).
    I know that most people don't want to smell food when they feel
    sick, however, this queasy type of feeling I get at times always
    makes me want to eat.  While I'm eating I do feel better, but 
    afterwards I am right back where I started.  Salty things seem to
    help (unfortunately fat comes with most salty snacks).  I think
    I will try crunching ice for a while since this makes me think that
    I'm eating.  I HATE raw veggies, so, that is not an alternative.
    
    Anyway, thanks again.  One day I'll be in a position to let others in 
    on MY Secret.
    
    D.

    This may be a late response but here goes.....
    
    Although I never had a real weight problem, I did manage to lose
    22 lbs in one summer.  My secret.....I jogged 3 miles a day.  I
    started jogging about 1 mile and eventually maintained 3 miles a
    day.  I was a size 9/10 when I began jogging and went down to a size 
    3/4 by the end of the summer.  I am only 5'2".  I do admit that it 
    was a drastic weight loss, but since then I've managed to keep it
    off.   I've just become more conscious of what I eat.  If I do 
    stray and gain a few pounds here and there, I've been able to shed
    those extra pounds by exercising and, of course, cutting down on 
    what I eat.  But I never...ever say I am on a diet.  I think that
    word is deadly.  I consider my eating habits a way of life and have
    accepted that exercise is and always will be a part of my lifestyle.
    I know that if I don't excercise, I can gain weight quickly.
    
    Currently, my exercise program consists of 3 days a week with nautilus
    training and using the stairmaster and exercise bike.  Once the
    weather gets warmer, I will begin jogging again.  I've tried to
    keep active during the winter especially, because this is the time
    of year when our bodies like to build fat as a safeguard against
    the cold.  (My theory....not sure if it is exactly factual).
    
    Of course if you have a lot of weight to lose, I would recommend
    that you be careful as to the amount of exercise you take on at
    first.  Starting gradually is the best safeguard.  And, cutting
    down gradually is also your best bet.  You will find that the more
    you exercise, the less your appetite will be.  It just happens that
    way.  The end result.....weight loss.  
    
    And one more thing, I have a picture of myself that was taken when
    I was at my heaviest.  I call it my "gumby" picture.  I look so
    terrible in this picture, that I've vowed to myself that I will
    never, ever get that way again.  I think I look pretty good now
    and I feel the best I've ever felt.....mentally and physically!
                 
    Sorry if I've rambled on.........
    
    Donna
     
    
    
    
    
    

    RE -.1 
    
    I've always known that exercise is the key, and you have just confirmed
    what I've heard, read, and experienced.  A friend of mine wants
    to join the YMCA this summer so that we can swim and use the weights.
    Hopefully having a partner will give me the motivation I need. 
    I have a mini-trampoline at home (that I haven't used in quite some
    time), and a friend just offered his rowing machine as an indefinite
    loan.  I really have no excuses.  I am not very overweight now,
    but I definitely could be if I don't change my lifestyle.  Your
    situation (height and size) is very close to my own, so, I will
    think of your success for inspiration.  
    
    D.

    I may be a bit late on this one, but anyhow....
    
    I was overweight all my life.  I was a chubby child, a plus-size
    girl, a half-size teen, and a size 16 adult.  I'm only 5'4, and
    I was, at my max, 180 lbs.  I dieted several times, failing to
    lose permanently all times.  Most of the time I went on a fad
    diet, but not a diet plan I could follow for life.
    
    Last January (87) I joined the Lifesteps program here at ZK.  I
    lost 50 lbs between Jan and August, and have kept them off.  What
    did it for me was:
    	1) Nutritional re-training.  I thought I knew a lot about
    	   nutrition.  Boy did I learn a lot!
    	2) Weighing and measuring my food, and counting calories for
    	   every bite I ate.  My idea of a medium apple was NOT what
    	   the calorie charts listed (4 oz), it was more like twice
    	   that amount.  Weighing your food gives you REAL DATA to
    	   go by.  You'll find that half of that jumbo apple was really
    	   not needed - you just ate it because it was there.
    	3) Exercise, exercise, exercise.  I did both weights and
    	   a form of aerobic exercise (walking or rowing or biking).
    	   The weights firmed my muscles, and built them (you can
    	   only shape muscle - fat is impossible to shape, though
    	   it can hide shape).  The aerobic exercise improved my
    	   heart's condition, and burned calories.
    
    It's important to keep good on-the-diet foods in your house, so
    you can go for them instead of cookies when the EAT-EVERYTHING
    urge hits.  Keep carrots etc CUT UP in the fridge.  Get some of
    those Crystal Lite popsicles (15 cals each) and some nutrasweet
    jello.  Get a hot-air popper and popcorn.  Fool yourself by eating
    these when you want something sweet or crunchy.  Soon you'll have
    broken the sugar addiction and you won't get such bad cravings.
    
    --Louise

whenever I need a little incentive I read this note; there are so many
good thoughts in here!  Keep it going!

I agree with a lot of what others have said so far; I've waited a while
before replying myself because I was trying to decide why this time was
different.  I might still be lacking the whole answer!

I started Weight Watchers almost two years ago, and have been within 2
pounds of goal for almost a year and a half, occasionally (and currently)
going lower (on purpose).  I've lost between 35 and 40 pounds. This
maintainence is really something new to me; last time I lost "a lot" of weight
(following a WW-like program on my own) I lost maybe 20 pounds, then lots
of things changed in my life and eventually I ended up 15 pounds higher than
I had started.  (typical, huh?).  Between then and the start of this success, I
tried over and over to get the motivation to do it again.  I think part of the
problem was my personal situation; I was alone for the first time in my life,
having just broken up with my husband.  I either went out with friends or on
dates and ate, or I stayed home and ate.  A lot of it was emotional eating.

This time, when I started the final countdown, I was well-established in a
relationship.  We had passed the "eating out every night" stage, which is
really a killer!  I didn't have the same emotional need for eating that I
had had before.  I had, and still have, Bill's support, understanding, and
all that other good stuff :-).  Besides, he's such a good influence.

Like previous repliers, I have found that I am not on a diet; I have changed
my way of eating for the most part.  Although I do overdo the food and calories
once in a while, I know it's just a temporary digression and I will get back to
"normal" eating again.  I have to watch myself all the time; I guess it's not
automatic for me (yet?).  I'm reading several books (one at a time :-)) on
eating and nutrition that have been mentioned here, hoping to make the good
habits and ideas more ingrained.  I can't think of myself as being on a diet,
because then I'd never be able to get off it without gaining weight again!

I've been exercising a lot more than I used to, and in a lot of different
ways.  I substitute things that are better for me for things that are higher
in calories when I can.  I reward myself in non-food ways, and am lucky not
to be surrounded by too many food-intensive situations.

I try to keep busy, since I tend to eat when I'm bored, and that doesn't
accomplish anything.  I fail sometimes at this, but I try to eat less damaging
foods.  And I try not to eat for emotional reasons, either.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but they've probably been mentioned before
anyway...

That's about it for now,
Jill

    After maybe a year of being stuck at one weight (too much) and not
    being able to lose, I've lost 7 pounds in the past 2 1/2 weeks.
    Three things helped:  (1)  I found this stuff called Fibertrim
    in the supermarket.  It has no drugs, no caffeine.  It's just some
    sort of bulk fiber that takes the edge off the hungry feeling. (2)
    I started writing down everything I ate;  it was pretty appalling
    how much junk was there.  I try to make each day's list better than
    the previous day's. (3)  I successfully gave up coffee a month or
    two ago, so my will power muscles had been exercised.  (No joke).
    When I start to envision eating half a pizza or somesuch, I just
    say, you did it with coffee, you can do it with your weight.
    

    Thanks Karen for your idea.  I had been wrestling with my weight
    for all long as I had "been" and the coffee idea is great.  One
    I did give up caffeine, but like my food, I stated back.  You have
    given the inner strength to try again.  Thanks lots!
    
    M